In response to news outlets publishing top secret national security information, lawmakers in Congress are drafting legislation to limit access to such information and to create new penalties for revealing it.

Seventy-two percent (72%) of Likely U.S. Voters say when media outlets release secret government documents, they are hurting national security. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 14% believe the media is providing a public service when it releases that information. Another 15% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters nationwide was conducted on June 11-12, 2012 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

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